Or: What if this wasn’t about compliance at all?
If you’ve ever had to defend accessibility work, you’ve probably heard the same questions:
“Do we have to do this?”
“Is this a legal requirement?”
“Isn’t this going to take a lot of time?”
It’s exhausting. Especially when the answer is, “Yes – but that’s not the point.”
Because compliance is a floor. It’s the bare minimum standard for not excluding people. It’s a technical baseline – something you can point to when you need backup.
But the real goal? It’s not compliance. It’s connection.
It’s building something that works for the people you’re trying to reach.
Design for the edges, and you improve the middle
There’s a myth that accessibility is about edge cases.
People imagine a handful of users with unusual needs – outliers, exceptions, the “other.”
But edge cases aren’t rare. They’re just… people.
People with different bodies. Different minds. Different tools. Different contexts.
And when you design for them? Everyone benefits.
You simplify the complex.
You reduce friction.
You create systems that work better for everyone.
When it feels Sisyphean…
There will be days when this work feels impossible.
When you’re asked to justify it for the hundredth time.
When no one notices the extra time you put in.
When something you fixed gets broken again two weeks later.
You’ll wonder if it’s worth it. You’ll wonder if it’s working.
You’ll wonder if you’re alone.
You’re not.
The cathedral
There’s an old story about three people laying bricks.
Someone asks them what they’re doing.
The first says, “I’m laying bricks.”
The second says, “I’m building a wall.”
The third says, “I’m building a cathedral.”
Same work. Same tools.
Different mindset.
When you fight for accessibility – when you ask the awkward questions, fix the broken forms, rewrite the unreadable content – you’re not just laying bricks.
You’re building something that lasts.
Something that includes more people.
Something more humane.
Something better.
And that’s where this guide begins.